Market Rule or Equal Opportunity Rule: An Empirical Analysis Based on Acquisitions of Chinese Listed Companies

This paper examines the data of A-share listed companies in China from 2002 to 2017,drawing on the theory of equal opportunity and market rules in M&A transactions. This paper investigates the correlation between changes in tender offer policy and M&A tendencies and performance. The findings suggest that following the policy shift and the adoption of market rules, companies that secure an exemption from the mandatory tender offer obligation not only exhibit stronger M&A tendencies but also improved long-term M&A performance. This indicates that market rules are more suitable for China and contribute to enhancing the efficiency of the M&A market. The paper also presents evidence of a moderating effect, demonstrating that exemptions from the mandatory tender offer obligation positively influence the relationship between policy change and M&A performance. Lastly, this paper finds that state-owned and large-scale firms tend to exhibit a higher degree of M&A tendencies.